Lots to unpack here. Where to start? Let's go with the number 7. Did you know in both Eastern and Western cultures, the number seven is considered magical? Think about it. There are seven wonders of the world, seven continents, seven colours of the rainbow and seven days in the week. Heck, Snow White has seven dwarfs. Slot machines pay out good money for sevens don't they? So, was it any wonder the Kelowna Rockets, riding a season high seven game losing streak (0-5-0-2), were able to dig themselves out of a massive hole Saturday night with a 5-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. In the final meeting of the season, which featured 14 intense games, the Rockets were considered good candidates for another thorough beating. Heck, the Blazers had shut them out the night prior (6-0), and to make matters worse, sickness (non COVID related) was making it's rounds. Confidence was low. How could it not have been? Second guessing the system may have been in play, but home ice pride prevailed. In front of the biggest crowd (4,836) of the season, the Rockets were not about to let the Blazers celebrate the clinching of a BC Divisional title on the Prospera Place ice surface. Instead, a four goal second period prohibited that from happening in the teams 35th win of the season.
The Rockets played this game with just four defencemen. Four! Jackson DeSousa dressed, but was ill and didn't see the ice surface. Rookie Caden Price couldn't play either, so John Babcock, Noah Dorey, Tyson Feist and Jake Lee had to log huge minutes. When you are playing your 6th game in 9 nights, that's an awfully big ask. That group was anything but flawless, but under the circumstances against a very good team, that 'Fantastic Four' were able to keep their heads above water.
Pavel Novak's facial expression tells it all
Thankfully, seven game losing streaks are a rarity in these parts, so that's what made this slide so hard to accept. Plus, this was a terrible time to go into a free fall. You don't want to lose your mojo when the playoffs are essentially three weekends away. Here is my theory. The Rockets lost confidence when they ended up losing back-to-back shootout losses on home ice to the Blazers. Those were damaging - psychologically. Those were games they should have won, but ended up losing. Not only were they losses, it also saw the window of the teams aspirations of catching the Blazers for first place - end. All that rolled into one resulted in two losses in Victoria and a 6-0 loss Friday in Kamloops. In case you are wondering, the last time the team had this long of a losing skid was in the 2009-2010 campaign when it also took seven games before finally earning a 'W'.
Puck luck. The Rockets had very little of that during the seven game losing skid.That's why I want you to pay attention to Colton Dach's opening goal last night as a sign that some luck and persistence returned. Teammate John Babcock's shot from the point is blocked by Blazers defender Kaden Hammell. The puck goes off Hammell's skate right to Dach, who rips home his 22nd goal of the season.
Adam Kydd has the luxury of playing in the teams top six. He deserves that spot with soft hands and the ability to chase down loose pucks. With a goal and two assists, Kydd delivered in the clutch, and being in a top 6 role, you have too. He's 19. Pavel Novak is 19. You can't be bystanders. Kydd elevated as did Novak, who reached the back of the net for the first time in 8 games and scored his first career goal against the Blazers after 16 matches in his career where he was unable to find pay-dirt behind a Blazers goalie.
Heading into the weekend doubleheader, Kamloops media, not all but some, where pushing the narrative that the Rockets were going to come into Friday's game wanting to stir the pot. The belief was there would be carryover/fireworks from a jawing match between Rockets head coach Kris Mallette and Blazers assistant Chris Murray the weekend prior. While it's the sexy narrative, with the media almost yearning for more antics, my sense going into the two games this weekend was the Rockets were more concerned about themselves, not settling any score with the opponent who had beaten them 5 straight times. In fact, I will go as far to suggest it would have been dangerous for the Rockets to even approach the games that way. What would it accomplish? More trips to the penalty box? Yep. More humiliation on the scoreboard? Hello! More losing? Bingo! More self doubt? Oh ya. Playing physical, hard nosed hockey and staying close to the script that has brought them success was the right route to take. It was the intelligent option. Even in the 6-0 loss Friday, I credit Mallette and the players for keeping composed and not going off the rails. In my opinion, that approach Friday paved the way for a win one night later.
What else? Oh, watch Pavel Novak's stick as he defends a one goal lead with the Blazers goaltender pulled for the extra attacker. Novak was paying extra attention to Logan Stankoven at the right faceoff circle and deflected a pass away from the skilled forward with time ticking down. You need to cheat to Stankoven's side of the ice in that situation. How can you not be aware of a player with 35+ goals - who has eaten you alive while spitting out bones with 7 goals in his last four games against you? Stankoven has the most shots on goal of any player in the WHL! Teammates are going to try to get him the puck. Novak played it perfectly and his unselfish play in handing the puck off to Dach for the empty net hattrick goal was just another sign of why Novak is such a likable player and a quiet leader on this team.
Face it, the Blazers will win the BC Division banner. That ship has sailed. One more win or a Rockets loss and it's a done deal. Realistically, the fact that the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets were even in the conversation is mind-blowing for me. Before the puck dropped, a 4th place finish in the BC Division was the likely destination with 28 to 30 wins. Kamloops was clearly better. So was Vancouver. Prince George was young, but heck, look at all that skill. They were easily a third place finisher. Victoria was expected to be in the basement, which now looking back, was one of only two predictions that actually came out right. The first one was the Blazers winning the BC Division with little to no trouble.
If the Rockets can reach 40 wins - that would be an amazing regular season.
The Rockets end the seasonal series with the Blazers going 8-4-0-2 in 14 games. Five of those losses came in a span of 28 days. So for argument sake, let's say the Rockets struggled for a month before finally bumping the slump. It wasn't fun seeing the team struggle, but it was rewarding to witnessing them beat a Blazers team that caused them so much angst.
While not mathematically eliminated from catching the Kamloops Blazers
for first place in the BC Division, the Kelowna Rockets took another step
backwards this weekend. After playing well and likely deserving a better fate in a 3-2 shootout
loss Friday night at Prospera Place, the Blazers used a Dylan Garand 33 save shutout
performance one night later in a 4-0 win. It was the second time this season the team has been shut out on the road, losing 2-0 in Vancouver way back in October.
The Rockets now sit 14 points back of the Blazers with time ticking down. While holding
three games in hand, the focus should be on securing home ice advantage in what appears to be a guaranteed date with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the
opening round of the WHL playoffs. It’s more realistic
and attainable to set your sights on Seattle with 12 games left in the regular season. While still able to catch Kamloops for first, lots would have to go right and much would have to go wrong for the Blazers.
Saturday’s fourth consecutive loss (0-2-0-2) didn’t lack emotion. It
featured three fights and the coaches jawing at one another late in the game.
One side will say the Rockets are poor sports for physical aggression late in
the game while some may question Blazers leading scorer Logan Stankoven
pointing at the score-clock or teammate Reese Belton doing a fly-by at the
Rockets bench essentially waving goodbye with his glove hand. Gamesmanship? Sure. Depends which side your on. Good old fashioned hockey? Again, depends where your allegiances lie. One thing is clear, playing a home and home series on
consecutive weekends against an arch geographical rival will stir up
emotion.
Much will be made about the
yelling match between Rockets head coach Kris Mallette and Blazers
assistant Chris Murray. After watching it again on video, was it
really that big of a deal? We don't see it often, nor should we, but it's
not like it doesn't happen in the heat of the battle. The two coaches
never left the positions they were basically standing in all night long.
Neither coach positioned himself closer to the glass that
separates the two benches to give the other an extra ear full. Had one
grabbed the glass and started shaking it like a maniac or jumped down from the bench
and literally got his grill in the face of the other, well then we would
have something to talk about. I've seen way more animation. Need
proof?
The Blazers are good, but we
knew that. We knew that Dylan Garand is very good. He proved that again
this weekend. I'd suggest the 19 year-old was one of the main reasons why
the Blazers skated away with two wins on the weekend. Heck, he was the
third star in a 3-2 shootout win and then received second star honours in
a 4-0 victory. I'd say he is the best Blazers goalie I've ever seen in my 22 years in the Western Conference with the best supporting cast in front of him.
I thought Tayln Boyko had a
really good weekend. The 19 year-old was real sharp Friday night when he
allowed just one goal in the shootout. He also had to stop Logan Stankoven
on a penalty shot Saturday night in an effort to give his team a chance. Goaltending with the Kelowna Rockets is
not a problem. Goaltending is clearly a strength.
The difference between winning and losing this weekend wasn't penalties. The Rockets took eight, but so did the Blazers.
The difference maker was the power play. While the Blazers score one more
goal with the man advantage (2 for 8 while the Rockets were 1 for 8 on the weekend), the
Rockets also surrendered a shorthanded goal. While the Blazers power
play didn’t manufacture many goals, it did provide momentum and territorial
play. That counts for something even if it doesn’t help you on the score-sheet.
I found the Rockets power play often struggled and wasn’t a constant
threat, something the Blazers five man unit often was.
While the Rockets have lost
the last five meetings between the two teams, take note that they’ve been
more than a formidable foe against a team (Blazers) everyone expected to be elite this season. In
fact, the Rockets have lost just three times in regulation in the 12 games
played head-to-head. Three!! The Rockets have earned 16 points in the
seasonal series while the Blazers have earned 11. Six of the games (50% of
them) have been decided by one goal.
What’s next? After a steady diet at the Blazers buffet table,
the Rockets get reacquainted with the Victoria Royals Tuesday and
Wednesday against a team that may be dead last in the BC Division, but
sit in one of the two final playoff spots in the Western Conference.
While it looks like the Rockets are going down a weight class after taking
on a heavy weight (Blazers) in four consecutive games, if they let down their guard even a smidgen, they will be leaving the Island riding the longest losing streak of the
season and two weekend games against the Blazers in many respects will be inconsequential.
It's a gut feeling. It's something that coaches don't like to do. Pulling your starting goalie is never the preferred option, but reading the situation correctly can do wonders in an effort to win a game. Kris Mallette was reluctant to do it Sunday afternoon when rookie goalie Jari Kykkanen surrendered three goals on 11 shots in the first period. Not wanting to put the blame on the shoulders of his back-stopper, Mallette made the difficult choice of replacing him with number one goalie Talyn Boyko. The move paid off. Boyko provided a mental spark, made a handful of solid saves and his teammates did a better job of defending in a 5-4 win over the Vancouver Giants. On the post game show, Mallette wanted to make it perfectly clear that the change in goal was more made out of necessity to spur his team on to defend better. Whatever you may think about the change in goal, the astute move helped the Rockets win a game they needed if they have any hope of catching Kamloops for first place in the BC Division. You really needed to win these games with the Blazers idle. It was the teams 34th victory of the season and moved them within 8 points with 16 games left in the regular season. The Blazers have 13 remaining.
A road game and a veteran needs to step up. Who is the Kelowna Rockets road warrior? Mark Liwiski is the answer. 'Lewy' was clutch, not once, but twice in Sunday's one goal win. Liwiski scores a shorthanded penalty shot goal, showing ice in his veins and then pots the game winner by showing off his spectacular speed by outracing Giants d-man Connor Hornung to a loose puck and beating the goaltender with a nifty backhand. Liwiski has 20 goals. Impressive considering it is the second most goals on the team. Only Pavel Novak (24) has more. What is more impressive is of the 20 goals Liwiski has scored this season, 13 have come on the road.
Should we be surprised with Liwiski's ability to find the back of the net? Not really. He did lead the team in goals with 9 in 16 games during the abbreviated season. I'd argue that was against lesser competition. Not this season though. Liwiski got off to a slow start with three goals in his opening 16 games. In his last 20, the pain in the derriere forward has 11 goals. Not bad for a player who has also been suspended for four games this season.
How fun would it be to have a race featuring Liwiski and rookies Marcus Pacheco and Rilen Kovacevic? All three are speed demons and are quick to pucks. In a straight line, that trio can scoot. It would be fun to do two races. One with the puck, the other without.
Since the media started getting his name right, me included, Gabriel Szturc (Shhhh-stew-zzz) is on a roll. Riding a four game goal scoring streak, 'Gabby' has 7 goals in his last 13 games. Why the recent success? Shooting the puck more is one massive factor. Fifteen shots in his last four games will do that.
Andrew Cristall may be playing in the shadows of a 16 year-old like Connor Bedard, but let's call him Kelowna's little secret. With 49 points in 42 games, the first round WHL bantam pick, taken 17 players after Bedard was chosen first overall, is having a spectacular season. A three point effort (1+2=3) against the G-Men pumps up his goal total to 19. His three point game was his 6th of the season. Nothing against Everett Silvertips forward Niko Huuhtanen, who leads the Western Conference in rookie scoring, but the Finnish born forward is 18. That two years difference is massive in junior hockey. With a 9 point lead on Cristall in the Western Conference rookie scoring race, Huuhtanen has also played four more games. Being nominated as the Western Conference rookie of the year is no small feat this season, considering three Seattle Thunderbirds are also making a strong bid for the honour.
The last Rockets player to be named Western Conference rookie of the year was Nick Merkley in 2014. He won the award that season with 58 points. Shane McColgan was also named Western Conference rookie of the year in 2009-2010 by leading the team in scoring with 25 goals and 69 points. He would lose the league honour that season to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels.
One goal games. It's been common place this season. Sunday's win was the teams 25th this season. It is the most of any WHL team. Looking back, the 2019 edition of the Vancouver Giants played in 29-one goal regular season games in advancing to the WHL final, where they would lose a one goal game in overtime to the eventual league champion PA Raiders. When all the dust had settled, regular season and playoffs, the G-Men had played in 40-one goal games.
The Kelowna Rockets have been given the fewest power plays of anyone in the WHL. Crickets from everyone outside of Kelowna. But if the team has the most power play chances of any of the 22 teams, the conspiracy theorists come out in droves. The silence right now is deafening.
Rilen Kovacevic is leading the WHL in fighting majors. I didn't see that coming. The rookie isn't picking his spots either. Of the 9 fighting majors, eight have come on opposition ice. Oh, he is just 17 people!
For those keeping count, the Rockets have 10 players with 30 or more points. No team has more. A few others equal that total including high powered Everett, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Next to join the 30 point club is Max Graham (29 points) and Jake Poole (28).
The Rockets earned a playoff spot on the weekend. If the 'real season' started today, it's the Seattle Thunderbirds in round one. First place in the BC Division is still within reach, but with time ticking down, Captain Obvious can tell you the division will be won or lost in the next four games. Why? The Rockets and Blazers meet in four consecutive games. The schedule maker....we applaud thee!!!
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